WW1 Timeline

This World War 1 timeline covers all the key WW1 dates all the way from the start to the end of the war.

1914

28 June: Franz Ferdinand (Archduke of Austria) is assassinated in Sarajevo.28 July: Austria declares war with Serbia.1 August: Germany declares war with Russia.3 August: Germany declares war with France. On the same day the country’s armed forces invade Belgium.4 August: Britain declares war with Germany.7 August: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) arrives in France. Two weeks later they are defeated by the German Army at the Battle of the Frontiers.18 October: the first Battle of Ypres begins29 October: trench warfare is beginning to dominate across the Western Front. Turkey enter the war on the German side.

1915

25 April: Allied forces land in Gallipoli (Turkey)23 May: Italy declares war on German and Austrian and enters the war on the side of the Allies.5 August: Germany captures Warsaw (the Polish capital) from Russian forces.19 December: the Allies begin their evacuation of Gallipoli. The campaign is a disaster and more than 44,000 Allied soldiers are killed.

1916

27 January: Britain introduces military conscription.1 July: The Battle of the Somme begins. In just 4 months the British suffered around 420,000 casualties the French had 200,000 but the Germans suffered the most coming away with 500,000 casualties.7 December: David Lloyd George becomes the new Prime Minister of Britain.

1917

6 April: the United States enter the conflict by declaring war on Germany.16 April: A major French offensive on the Western Front is unsuccessful.6 November: Britain launches a major offensive on the Western Front and their forces begin to make some progress. Later that month British tanks are victorious at the Battle of Cambrai.5 December: Germany and Russia sign armistice agreement.9 December: British troops capture Jerusalem from Turkish forces.

1918

3 March: The treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed with officially brings an end to the war between Russia and Germany.21 March: German forces make a breakthrough on the Somme.9 April: A German offensive begins at Flanders.8 August: A crucial Allied advance is successful.4 October: Germany ask the Allies to sign an armistice agreement.30 October: Turkey surrender by signing the Armistice of Mudros.3 November: Austria-Hungary make peace.9 November: Kaiser William II of Germany abdicates and Germany is declared a republic.11 November: Germany sign armistice agreement and the First World War is officially ended. Fighting on the Western Front ceases at 11 am.